Chapter 42 – Bloody Ferrara (14)
◎ Water Monster! ◎
At 20:56, in the central area of Mirror Lake.
Close to halfway up the hill, the temperature noticeably dropped, thin snow-covered pine branches, and dry leaves scattered the deserted path, making a rustling sound when stepped on.
A team of three, after enduring countless hardships, finally managed to kill a zombie that had a bluish hue on its surface.
“Phew, this monster is really tricky. It was obviously dying, yet it resurrected at full health. Looks like it has mutated. Luckily, I acted quickly and landed another blow. Hey, what’s this?”
The man bent down and plucked a pure white, perfectly octahedral transparent crystal from the zombie’s head.
“It’s quite unique, I never expected to find diamonds inside a zombie’s head. Haha!” he joked, thinking himself witty.
“Liangzi, you, your… your tracker is turning red!”
His companions pointed at him in terror, their voices trembling.
At 20:57, all the supernatural beings within Mirror Lake received a notification.
“The Flag Appears”
“Broadcasting remaining flag coordinates: (452, 671, 109)”
The first flag had appeared!
At first, everyone was puzzled, but the teams closest to the coordinates reacted the fastest and immediately rushed towards the location.
…
“Sister, it’s the flag!”
In the dim forest, Xu Xing, after reading the announcement, whispered to alert his sister.
Song Ke lowered her head to check her tracker; the coordinates weren’t far from their location, and there was even a route displayed. If they went all out, it would only take about ten minutes. They had just searched the area nearby, not even spotting a zombie. This was their only clue, and she immediately made a decision: “Let’s go, check it out.”
…
When Song Ke and Xu Xing arrived at the center of Mirror Lake, the flag’s coordinates had already been reached by another team.
Rather than rushing in recklessly, the two found a concealed large tree and observed the situation.
In the center of the encirclement were three disheveled awakeners, their legs trembling as they knelt on the ground, clearly suffering from severe injuries.
“I say, don’t be so stingy. Let us see what the flag is?”
In front of the three, a muscular supernatural being crossed his arms and casually remarked.
“Do you really have to maintain civility in a battle royale like this? Just kill him, and we’ll know.”
His impatient teammate attacked immediately, turning his palm into a fist and striking towards the three.
“Bang!”
The awakener named Liangzi was instantly killed, blood splattered everywhere, and a transparent object rolled out from his body onto the ground.
The person who threw the punch reacted swiftly, picking it up and holding it high. Through the dim night, the perfectly octahedral crystal emitted a faint glow.
He exclaimed in surprise, “It’s a crystal! So, the flag is…”
Before he could finish speaking, a red light flashed, and the person who had just been talking had his head and neck separated, falling to the ground with a thud.
More awakeners arrived, this time numbering in the dozens.
The newcomers grabbed the crystal, excitedly shouting, “I got it!”
“Flag coordinates refreshed.”
“Broadcasting remaining flag coordinates: (486, 597, 88)”
“Flag coordinates refreshed.”
“Broadcasting remaining flag coordinates: (402, 553, 87)”
In just a few seconds, ownership of the crystal shifted twice, and the tracker displayed four notifications.
“Brothers, the crystal is the flag! Hurry up and grab it! Deliver it to the finish line to win!”
In a chaotic environment, someone shouted loudly, fearing that the world would not be in chaos. The people around suddenly woke up, and various supernatural abilities lit up, and they fought recklessly, attempting to kill and loot.
Song Ke pulled Xu Xing back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Suddenly, her psychic senses picked up something and she looked straight in a certain direction.
Just as everyone was engaged in a fierce battle, a deep roar erupted from behind them. In the shadows noticed by Song Ke, three entirely greenish-blue zombies sprang from the woods, pounding the ground with their fists, sending sand, soil, and stones flying as if the earth itself was trembling.
They were mutated zombies!
The awakeners in the chaotic battle fell silent for a moment.
“Hurry, charge! Crystals come from the mutated zombies!”
“Kill the zombies, get the crystals, and go to the next round!”
The voice that had been stirring the pot earlier resurfaced, adding fuel to the fire.
Several messy wind blades shaved away the branches and leaves concealing Song Ke, forcing her to retreat again.
The battle zone was in complete chaos, with the awakeners no longer distinguishing between friend and foe, using their area-of-effect attacks.
Song Ke focused her gaze on the young man who had been inciting others to fight while standing on the sidelines as if watching a show. He had ice-blue eyes and seemed quite young. He deliberately egged others on to fight while enjoying the spectacle himself, standing outside the circle as if he were an innocent bystander.
This person was not simple.
The destructive power of the three mutated zombies was astonishing, and the awakeners, each with their own agenda, were unable to defeat them in a short time and were instead being suppressed.
A month ago, killing mutated zombies had been an A-level mission, but now it had become the sustenance for the Throne Race.
Song Ke suddenly realized why they hadn’t encountered ordinary zombies on their journey. The real stars of this competition were the mutated zombies with crystals!
…What did that Ilya want to do? According to the rules, “the number of flags is limited.” How many mutated zombies had he brought?
By the lakeside, several mutated zombies suddenly rose up, their fists smashing into the ground with a resounding thud. Powerful shockwaves rippled outward in concentric circles, causing the innermost row of people to lose their balance as the oncoming gusts of air sent them tumbling uncontrollably towards the center of the lake.
As they were about to fall into the water, the surface of Mirror Lake rippled with layer upon layer of waves.
A massive creature leaped out of the water, its gaping maw opening wide to devour those few awakeners in a single gulp!
In front of the crowd stood a gigantic water monster, its head small and almost devoid of eyes. At first glance, it resembled a sleek deep-sea eel, but its back was covered in tough scales. After its hearty meal, the water creature’s elephant-like trunk twitched slightly, and it silently submerged back into the depths.
“Ahhhhh! Ahhhhhh!” In the official live broadcast room, Ah K screamed dramatically, holding his face with both hands.
Dozens of drones aimed at the central area of Mirror Lake. Ah K had been passionately commentating on the chaotic battle, but suddenly witnessing this terrifying scene, he let out a loud cry to enhance the live atmosphere, instantly pushing the viewership data to its peak.
Not only Ah K but also the millions of viewers immersed in the immersive broadcast were nearly scared to death by the sudden appearance of the water monster.
Three mutated zombies were finally beaten to death haphazardly, one after another falling to the ground. The crystals in their heads were quickly harvested, and the team that had captured the flag wasted no time and bolted. Others, unwilling to leave empty-handed, gnashed their teeth and chased after them.
There was still another water monster lurking nearby, and the awakeners dared not linger. They fled in panic through the woods, desperate to escape the danger zone.
On the surface of Mirror Lake, countless tiny bubbles bubbled up, and in the next moment, the water monster leaped once again.
Its neck, over ten meters long, stretched forward, and it snapped up several awakeners who hadn’t made it to the shore in time.
The panicked crowd scattered like headless flies, with several charging towards the large trees where they had taken cover.
Song Ke’s brow furrowed slightly as she assessed the situation and made a decision.
“Xiaoxing, let’s retreat first.”
“Yeah.”
The two of them were still some distance from the shore, relatively safe for the moment. Xu Xing jumped down from a tree trunk and took a few steps forward, preparing to follow Song Ke and leave.
Just then—
One of the awakeners that the water monster had seized suddenly had their pupils darken, their ability surging. The space around them distorted, and the person disappeared on the spot, only to reappear dozens of meters away.
Meanwhile, Xu Xing, who had been in that spot, was unexpectedly lifted into the air, and the water monster swallowed him with a single gulp, its massive jaws closing around him.
“Xiaoxing!!” Song Ke exclaimed in shock and anger, turning without hesitation and rushing towards the lakeside.
The awakener with the dark trick up his sleeve was still gloating, thinking he had narrowly escaped. “That was close! Luckily, I can switch quickly and found a scapegoat. Hahaha!”
A blue-hued throwing knife sliced through the dark, piercing his throat.
The man’s ecstatic expression hadn’t even had time to settle when his awakened energy dissipated, and he instantly died!
Song Ke chased the water monster with all her might, but its speed in the water was too fast, and it was about to submerge again.
“Xiaoxing!!”
Song Ke made a leaping dash through the air, landing on the creature’s back like a shooting star. She thrust a short knife into its head!
The water monster howled in pain, its body contorted, and its massive tail swung fiercely, knocking Song Ke off with a “thud.” She momentarily lost her footing, sliding down its wet and slippery back.
However, her physical abilities and reflexes were extraordinary. Almost as she descended, Song Ke pulled out a three-edged dagger, viciously stabbing it into the creature’s cheek, twisting it left and right. She then hooked her leg and flipped back up.
In the official live broadcast room, all the cameras were focused on the Mirror Lake monster and Song Ke, who had suddenly returned to the scene. Real-time data monitoring detected a surge in viewership and immediately switched to the dedicated drone broadcasting Song Ke’s perspective.
The viewership in Room 161-1 was also steadily increasing: 10,000, 50,000, 100,000… quickly surpassing 150,000.
The scene was just too exciting, and the viewers at their screens were in awe, unable to look away.
When Song Ke fell, countless viewers’ hearts tightened. When she reappeared, their expressions relaxed, but then they tensed up again—
The once calm lake surface suddenly erupted with waves, and torrents of water turned into sharp arrows, heading straight for Song Ke.
This was a zombie water monster, or rather, a mutated zombie water monster!
The drone’s camera was also splashed with water droplets, providing an immersive first-person experience that made the viewers outside the camera feel an inexplicable chill.
In the pouring rain, no one noticed the inconspicuous frost forming around the water monster.
Facing the rain arrows that were about to pierce her, Song Ke’s hand trembled, and the spiritual weapon umbrella, once famous in Hua City, made a comeback.
The enormous umbrella acted like an indestructible shield, blocking all the arrows. Then, she swiftly closed the umbrella, transforming it into a cold and elegant jagged blade, over two meters long. The blade pointed downward, and with brute force, she cut through the water monster’s head and neck, just like cutting a sack of grain from front to back, one cut after another.
The zombie water monster’s flesh and skin separated, and bright red muscles and thick black blood splattered, turning the entire Mirror Lake into a dark red hue.
Its long neck fell heavily on the shore.
“Ugh—!”
Ah K seemed to feel that heart-wrenching pain, and his expression contorted as he clung tightly to Luo Qinghe… No, he could only cling tightly to himself.
The barrage in the live chat was flooded with comments like “Holy crap,” “666,” and “Unbelievable.”
As black blood splattered around, Song Ke peeled the skin off the water monster while anxiously shouting, “Xiaoxing, where are you?”
“Sister, I’m here…” a weak voice came, “I’m okay…”
Perhaps due to the habit of being repeatedly thrown by Zhuang Qingyan, thanks to him, Xu Xing had developed a reflex. Whenever his feet left the ground uncontrollably, he would instinctively release ice spurs to protect himself. This reflex saved him from being crushed by the monster’s sharp teeth. Instead, he slid down its throat, narrowly escaping.
Song Ke looked down and finally found Xu Xing in the shredded digestive tract. Xu Xing had displayed incredible resilience. After getting stuck in the esophagus, he deliberately released several long ice spurs to block the passage. Currently, he was lying on the icy surface, covered in foul saliva and mucus, but surprisingly uninjured.
Moreover, during Song Ke’s battle with the water monster, he had been attempting to save himself by continuously using his ability, trying to cut his way out through the monster’s abdomen.
“Come on, get out.” Song Ke also slid in and reached out to him.
“En!” Xu Xing climbed out gracefully, using the ice steps.
After emerging, he didn’t smell fresh air but was instead overwhelmed by the foul odor, causing him to feel dizzy. He leaned over the lake and vomited.
Several seconds later, Song Ke crawled out, her entire face and head covered in slime.
Xu Xing, with teary eyes from vomiting, looked at her with a puzzled expression. Had his sister fallen into the monster’s stomach? Why was she dirtier than him?
Song Ke wiped her face. “Let’s, let’s get out of here and find, find a place to talk.”
“Okay.”
Song Ke’s dedicated drone had been too close earlier and was splattered with the monster’s flesh and blood. Its signal short-circuited and burned out. Viewers who had been watching the terminal didn’t feel any better. The gore and shredded flesh came rushing at them, causing strong feelings of nausea, dizziness, and a desire to vomit that they couldn’t resist. Many people turned off their projections and bent over, retching.
Ugh… It was unbearable. Immersive perspective was indeed too intense.
The drone was damaged, and Song Ke’s live stream momentarily went offline.
In the control room, the AI director immediately ordered, “Quickly locate the position of 161-1 and send a backup drone over. Cut all the nearby fixed camera feeds to this team… What’s it called? Show the V587 feed.”
“Wait a moment,” this artificial intelligence suddenly froze for a few seconds as its central code calculated frantically. “Send several backup drones.”
The sight of that familiar spiritual weapon umbrella reminded it of some dark memories. It was her, of all people! As a top AI director, Song Ke was an absolute stain on its professional career. Such a serious mistake as in the 178th round of qualifiers must absolutely not happen again!
